Friday, August 8, 2014

Writing Process Blog Tour

Well I was sure surprised to discover the Mews had nominated ME for the next Writing Tour Blog Post. I USUALLY know what they are doing, but I DO get caught off guard once in a while.

So, apparently, I have to answer 3 questions and nominate some other blogs to carry it forward. OH, I see, they didn't want to find other blogs to nominate... Typical of them.

1) What are we working on? Well, aside from my own blog (which tends to get a political as elections draw nearer), I am getting back to writing some prehistoric "Just So" stories a la Kipling. I enjoy that. Not much competition there. Like writing about the discovery of gold, arrows, farming, taming horses, etc. I wrote a quick one about recognizing the first constellations just a few days ago.

Its nothing meaningful. I'm not much into character development, though I think I did a decent job of that in 'Gold'. Wrote a few shorts about cats. But I'm mostly trying to get back to the "Just So" stories. Those are fun to write.

My own blog is sporadic. I write when I feel like it, but mostly spend my time fixing up the Mews' blog so their thoughts are readable.

2) Why do we write what we do? I write because I HAVE to. Too many thoughts and too few close friends to inflict them on. I have a few ways to go in my writing.

A. I could write about what I dream, and those are pretty odd sometimes, but whole tales. I dream well and wake up often, so I recall them. I'm not sure what people would think, though, and it would be a bit stream-of-conciousness. Fortunately, my dreams aren't about monsters, or embarrassing situations. I would need a recorder at the bed for them to get the good details

B. I could write about the cats. But I suppose I'm already doing that (though they might disagree). Or I could write about family. I would have to disguise that severely. That might not be too hard; I doubt anyone in my family would WANT to claim I was writing about them.

C. I could write some sci-fi. I've sure read enough, and I keep up with current science. How hard could it be to use "dark energy" since no one knows what it is? LOL! Just a few days ago, I wtched a BBC production about aliens attacking the Earth (similar to but not quite 'War of the Worlds' and also vaguely like WWI. And my main thought was "I could do THAT" (and better).

Like many of us, I think there is a book in me just waiting to come out. But I'm more a short story person. But every time I think of writing anything, I think of 'The Star' by Arthur Clarke and know I can't beat THAT!

3) How does our writing process work? I write because I must. If I didn't write, I would just implode. Did you ever watch the movie 'Conagher'? At one point Evie is attaching short notes to tumbleweeds to drift out into the plains to express her loneliness and says (something like) if I don't write, I shall just die. I feel like that sometimes.

I really do feel like that sometimes. I can't NOT write. Whether poorly, inconsequentially, or ignored, I just have to send my thoughts out into the world. It's not for the cats, it's for me. I just HAVE to.

Well, so HOW do I write? All at once mostly. I get an idea and go with it. I don't have a plan. I seldom even have an ending in mind. I just start writing with an idea and see where my thoughts take me. Characters develop in ways I don't expect and they surprise me. Plots twist. Directions change. And all AS I am writing, Sometimes it is great. Mostly it sucks. I've deleted a WHOLE lot more than I have ever kept. Most of what I write is terrible and makes little sense after I re-read it. I pound my keyboard hard. I have to buy a new one every few months. Well, I get THAT excited when I have a good idea.

But sometimes I write something I like to read myself and that is all that matters. I forget who said he liked to write stories he would like to read, but I'm like that. Heinlein, Asimov? Not that I'm remotely close, but I just mean I understand.

The best sentence I ever wrote was "And died" (it makes sense in context). I worked days over that one, clarifying a thought from several sentences down to 2 words (a rare editing on my part).
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And now I must nominate 3 blogs to move things along. And they should be cat blogs (or related to cat blogs.)

2 comments:

Thanks for the insights, Mark. Very interesting. I am one of the people on the planet who doesn't have a novel inside them itching to get - not even a short story. I write non-fiction for a living, but only short and light pieces and I do it because I enjoy it and it pays the bills, not because I 'have' to do it. However, there is good news - I'm a reader. Must must read. This is good because I'm part of the audience for all of you who have to write. LOL

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..........................................Two girlcats and a boycat sharing space with The Big Thing that has a lot of strange powers and control over our lives. But we love him anyway...
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